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I just noticed you are a moderator I tried to post it again but it never showed up. It is a little confusing how one is supposed to post a link. When you click the "link" icon it brings up http//, should I add the www too or just the http// or something else? I just figured my second attempt didn't post because I wasn't supposed to give personal blog links Sorry for any confusion.
-dbmontana

Thanks lm,
Sorry to hear your baguettes didn't turn out. I will try to post a sourdough recipe on my blog soon. I'm still experimenting but I sure would like to make some sourdough pancakes some morning. Don't feel frustrated though. Like I said, I typically throw away 10 bad ones to every 1 that turns out. It is just trial and error. I don't post a ton of bread recipes because it seems that they never turn out for people at lower elevations. It is hard to believe elevation can play such a role in bread but it seems it does. I need to figure out how people can convert recipes so it turns out for them. I've given some friends in Oregon some recipes once and nothing turned out for them. They thought I was just blowing smoke that I could make gluten free stuff turn out edible
The link is on my profile page.
I was going to post another link to the Red Star Yeast website as they have sourdough recipes and other gluten free recipes that have turned out pretty good in my experience. Maybe give that a shot. Especially the Black Russian Bread. It isn't sourdough but it is very tasty and it stayed fresh for 6 days at room temp.
-H

There is a link on my profile page.
Oh, I forgot to mention another site I have found really helpful. Redstar yeast's website at Red Star Yeast, has a ton of gluten free recipes and I have tried a few with amazing result. Nothing like Udi's but very good anyway. I especially like the black Russian bread. That one didn't get stale for 6 days, and I live in a VERY dry climate. I've also tried the Favorite gluten-free bread and that one was very nice too. This is the site I got the recipe for sourdough starter. They also have sourdough recipes which are pretty nice.
So there it is. If these links don't show up right I will try it another way. Thanks for your patience

LM,
I don't want to get you too excited but I have been making gluten free sourdough bread very nicely for a few months just using plain ole' yeast you can buy at the store (gluten free of course). I get nice results and fantastic rise almost every time. I usually use a sponge, which is the yeast, water and flour allowed to sit for 4-16 hours. To get a true sourdough taste you need to allow this to sit for days or even weeks either at room temp, feeding it approx 2 times a day, or in the fridge feeding it every few days or so. I think the success behind sourdough and gluten free baking is that the flours have time to absorb and the yeast has time to break down the starches which I think helps give a better rise and texture.
From my understanding there are different types of starter and I am currently experimenting with each. There is the biga, which has less hydration (less water added) and is much thicker. Then there is the poolish, which is a higher hydrations and much runnier. I have been making a biga with brown rice flour (as this flour tends to absorb a lot of water naturally) and poolish with sorghum (which doesn't absorb as much water). I have found the biga works great with baguettes and bread and the poolish has worked great in cinnamon rolls.
If you want to see my results you can go to www.bitterrootbakery.com. I'm not a true bakery on nothing, I just sell things at my local farmers market for extra income. I post all my results on there so you can see what is possible with sourdough. I don't post all the disasters that end up in the garbage or as croutons though Realistically, I probably have 10 failures before I get one right, or at least closer to what I'm looking for.
If you try it let me know how it works for you!

I'm new to this forum but I've been watching this thread and have learned a ton so I thought I would share what I've discovered along the way. I do live at somewhat high altitude (3500 ft)so maybe that changes things a litte, I don't know. Anyway I, like many of you, have baked so many loaves of gluten free bread trying to reach the holy grail that is Udi's and so many loaves ended up as bird food or bread crumbs for meatballs. Yet, not all was failure. I have beaten the egg whites stiff, not beaten the egg whites stiff, used egg white powder, played with the ratios of other ingredients, used different size pans, played with rising time and oven temperature, and, well, you get the idea.
Some different things I have tried are adding a teeny bit of probiotic or digestive enzyme (amylase specifically) to aid in the breakdown of the starches and using only 2 egg whites (not beaten). I know the probiotic addition is a little weird but I was trying to think what sort of enzymes Udi's was using and I had a bottle of enzymes at home and thought it couldn't hurt. I also beat the batter with a hand mixer (with dough hook attachments) for roughly 5 minutes but I think I may do less to get bigger holes. Still I do get pretty good result. I think the probiotic/enzymes really help.
Also, I have found that once your dough shows fissures on top like it is cracking open, then your dough has risen too high. I have kind of given up on the egg white powder idea as it never resulted in a very good loaf for me but maybe I was doing it wrong. It is quite expensive too. Yet, I can't see Udi's cracking hundreds of eggs just to get the whites and throwing away all those yolks, so it makes sense.
Another thing I have considered is that Udi's uses tapioca maltodextrin. If you guy's google that you will find that it essentially turns fats into powder making a denser loaf lighter. Since many of us don't have this in our pantry it is somewhat unrealistic hence, we are going to have a heavier loaf no matter what we do. I can't think of anything else that does the same thing. I think you can buy that stuff on Amazon but it seems kinda weird to me and processed. Kinda scary to think about what chemical reaction needs to occur for that to happen.
Ok, last thing I promise. If you all haven't dabbled in gluten free sourdough, you should. I have made some nice baguettes this way and different artisan bread that are light and airy with nice big holes. I typically us 1-1/2 C. brown rice flour or sorghum, 1 C. water, 2-1/4 tsp yeast (not quick) and a teaspoon or so of sugar. Mix it in a large plastic bin of some kind that can hold at least 5-6 cups of liquid. Stir it up and allow it to sit overnight with loosely fitted lid so air can escape. You should have a nice sponge by morning. Sometimes I substitute some of the liquid in a recipe with a little starter and it gives my loaves a better rise and richer flavor. I don't usually let my starter sit past 24 hours as I don't care for the tanginess.
Well, that is my two cents and sorry for the long reply. Happy baking!

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Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!